Nottingham High School graduate follows his father’s daring lead into the military
By Jessica Oates
Hamilton resident Myles Cappiello has been a U.S. Army paratrooper for 30 years, served two tours in Iraq and teaches a class in the army town of Fort Bragg, N.C.
But he still couldn’t hide his surprise when he learned his son Justin, a Nottingham High graduate, had decided to drop out of college and join the army as a paratrooper himself.
“I received a phone call from my ex-wife, who was very angry with me because she thought I had something to do with Justin’s decision to drop out of school and join the army,” Cappiello said. “That wasn’t the case. In fact, when he first told me he planned to leave school, I was disappointed.”
Justin Cappiello just had completed his first undergraduate year as biology major at Lycoming College when he made his decision. His father initially wanted him to obtain a bachelor’s degree before he enlisted in the armed forces, but has since come around.
“I tried to persuade him to stay in college and finish his education before joining, but now I’m very proud of him,” Cappiello said. “We have an understanding that he will continue to work towards his degree while he is in the army, though, or I will show him what an old paratrooper can do.”
As it turns out, an old paratrooper can do what a new one can.
On July 19, Cappiello had the honor of pinning silver parachutist wings to his son’s chest. In addition to his participation at the prestigious Jump School graduation ceremony held in Fort Benning, Ga., Cappiello also boarded an Air Force C-130 cargo plane to join Justin for some of his first jumps ever as a U.S. paratrooper.
Since Cappiello isn’t a student, he had to receive special permission to go up with the class. Justin Cappiello was the first of the 400-person class to jump from the plane. Myles Cappiello was the last.
Justin Cappiello didn’t know until the day of the jump whether his father would be able to join him, but said it was a special experience to have him there. The pair sat next to each other on the plane, and the elder Cappiello joked about faulty parachutes to lighten the mood.
They both had perfectly fine parachutes, and made it down safely.
That’s not all the duo has in common. When asked why he decided to join the army, Myles Cappiello simply said, “I’m very patriotic.” His son separately gave the exact same answer.
For Myles Cappiello, his army career began when he enlisted at 18 years old, right after high school. He was on active duty when he joined the army in 1980, and became a paratrooper in 1983.
He is employed by the state of New Jersey, but his service with the Army Reserves has brought him around the world. He has been to combat zones twice—both times in Iraq—for the first and second Gulf Wars. He is currently an instructor at a small school in Fort Bragg.
Justin Cappiello grew up with that example, but he said joining the army wasn’t simply to follow his father.
“Of course enlisting had something to do with my father, but not as much as you might think,” he said.
He also said his mother, Lisa Cappiello, has been an inspiration. Lisa Cappiello recently completed an Ironman Triathlon, and helped him train as a runner and get in shape before he began basic training.
“She is always challenging herself, and this is something she has taught me to do for myself; to strive to be better,” Justin Cappiello said.
He plans to pursue his education, and hopes to become a physician’s assistant or work as a medical professional in some capacity. Still, he and his friend Michael Lombardo at times consider working for the NYPD when their contracts are up with the army.
Another recent Nottingham High graduate, Lombardo also graduated Airborne School and is now assigned to the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Lombardo and Justin Cappiello have been friends since grade school, as well as teammates in an ice hockey league.
Jumping out of a plane as a paratrooper is nothing like skydiving. Paratroopers make it possible to rapidly deploy troops into areas that ordinary troops can’t access quickly, and with an element of surprise.
Justin Cappiello said that training is intense, and that lots of time is spent learning how the parachute works so that releasing correctly during a jump becomes second nature. Training also involves learning how to fall strategically while carrying lots of equipment.
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